Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, has warned that illegal land transactions involving village heads, commonly known as ‘masabhuku deals,’ are criminal offences punishable by imprisonment, as Government steps up efforts to curb land baron activities across the country.
Speaking during a Local Authorities Performance Evaluation Feedback Session in Harare, Garwe said land barons and illegal land dealers have caused significant hardship to thousands of home seekers by selling land without legal authority.
“Land barons have caused untold suffering to many people who invested their hard-earned money in illegal land deals, only to discover that the land was not legally allocated,” he said.
Garwe stressed that village heads do not have the legal mandate to allocate or sell land and urged members of the public to avoid participating in so-called “Sabhuku deals.”
“These illegal land transactions are criminal activities. Those involved in the allocation or sale of land without authority risk prosecution and imprisonment. Members of the public should not participate in land baroning activities,” he said.
The Minister warned that individuals buying land in the hope that it would eventually be regularised could face devastating consequences, including the demolition of structures built on illegally acquired land.
His remarks come as Government intensifies efforts to restore order in land administration and eliminate illegal settlements.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Dr Hohn Basera also addressed the issue of regularisation, noting that not all illegally occupied land can be regularised.
He cautioned prospective land buyers against assuming that Government would automatically legalise every settlement established through unlawful land deals.
Government has directed all provinces to submit reports on illegal land allocations as part of a nationwide crackdown on land barons and unauthorized settlements. The exercise is aimed at protecting citizens from fraud, promoting orderly development and ensuring that land allocation is conducted in accordance with the law.
